Nemo offers:
And if I want brown water, I’ll drink straight from the lake. 
I am from the South, as are many family generations before me. Specifically, I have lived all around Louisiana and in the Memphis area. Kinfolk in east Texas and Arkansas. Never did I come across pre-sweetened tea until I moved to North Carolina. Nobody in my family, nobody I ever knew, no establishment I ever visited. Louisiana is about as deep South as you can get, and my family takes a back seat to nobody in being Southern-proud (in the gentille, southern-nobility way; not redneck).
Now, a deep-south boy like me always considered North Carolina to bit just a tad bit close to Yankee-land. Living on the coast there (Wilmington) was not the most Southern of experiences.
Imagine my surprise when my first glass of iced tea tasted like it was spiked with an entire bag of sugar. Even after living there for 5 years, I always had to remind myself to specifically order unsweetened tea, else I would get pre-sweetened by default.
It was so nice to visit deep South back home where I could get pure tea. Try to order “sweet” tea, and you’ll get a spoon and a packet of sugar.
I have no idea why my experience conflicts so much with other Southern Dopers. Maybe my experience was truly an anomaly. Maybe sweet tea is a recent invasion now accepted in Southern areas. I’m open for discussion on this; but I’ll never put anything in my crisp, cold glass of unsweetened iced tea.
I think we’ve completely overlooked one of the most charming examples of mutilation of the english language. And that would be the phrase “I’m fixin’ to”. As in:
I’m fixin’ to go to the store.
I’m fixin’ to get some crawfish. (also a Southern treasure)
I’m fixin’ to fix supper.
You’re fixin’ to get yer nose punched in.
This reminds me a little of the Charlie Daniels song, “The South’s Gonna Do It Again.” Do what? Lose another war?
(My buddy from Louisiana loves this song but not our Yankee comments about it very much 
)
Ahh, but what Gazoo fails to mention is that according to said friend the South didn’t lose. 
We are trying to assimilate him despite this.
Another thing the South was right about is uses for Crawdads!!!
Crawfish Etoufee
Wow is that good!!!
Thanks, divemaster…I was reading through this thread, wondering at the proclivity of people to speak of “The South” as if Charleston had ANYTHING in common with Birmingham, or Louisiana with North Carolina, or East Texas with East Tennessee.
Or, for that matter, New Orleans (bless its little heart) having anything in common with any other place on the planet.
Ukelele Ike, it’s because of that unpleasant situation that came to a head about 139 years ago. It kinda solidified a separate mindset that up to then had been a matter of economics and societal structure instead of cultural pride. Some of my Southern brothers and sisters (like the guy in the pickup truck —see OP) feel that pride a bit too strongly.
But it’s still the South (big “S”) to me.
divmaster said:
Thanks for bringing this up. I am from southern louisiana and never have I heard about sweet tea before now. Gross.
about a lot of things. I made a visit to the South three years ago and made it my home nearly two years ago. I love every thing about it! Here are my impressions of what the South does best.
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Sweet Tea Granted that it was a struggle at first, but now I wouldn’t have it any other way. Lib and I have a few funny stories to tell about my experiences with ordering unsweetened tea. Now I make sweet tea the way his mother did. Today’s Friday, so tonite I make tea to serve on Sunday. For non-Southerners, the comment of “Tastes like just made tea” is not a compliment.
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Southern Food Forget the chain restaurants if you want homecooked meals, yeast rolls, biscuits, and cornbread, banana pudding, cobblers, egg custard pie, etc., all made from scratch. Their green beans cooked with ham until soft, sweetpotato casserole, sweet white corn, pinto beans with chunks of ham, HAMS, and that tender lean BBQ pork that’s s-l-o-w cooked over a fire.
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Southern Men At first it confused me a bit, but Southern men not only respect and appreciate women, they show their respect with a nod, a smile, and a helping hand. They even open doors for you… with a smile, greeting, or a nod.
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Southern Women I have met some of the most warm, friendly, and not-afraid-to-be feminine women with a genuine kindness and gentleness unmatched. Their presence bless their home, family and friends.
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Southern Values Family and home are high priority. So is lending a helping hand to others. Southern life is less hurried and they take the time to enjoy and appreciate the little things in life.
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Southern Region Mountains to the left and the ocean to the right; the foothills and gently rolling terrain. If you miss snow, go to the mountains during the winter! Everywhere else, trees, woods, flowers and flowering trees in bloom during each season providing a variety of color all year around.
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Southern Spirit I see more of the independent spirit here of those who hold individual freedom dear to their hearts. The relations between races is more cordial here than what I witnessed in the Midwest.
Maybe I’ll go bumper sticker shopping.
BBQ.
Chicken fried steak.
Sun tea.
Southern hospitality.
Southern rock and roll.
Cajun cooking.
Tex-Mex.
And I think Southern women are a Godsend. (Esp. one certain one…)
Being from North Carolina, I love the South. I can’t think of another place on God’s green earth that I’d rather live.
As far as sweet tea, there are areas now that do serve the tea with the sugar bags on the side. Mainly these are areas that have lots of Yankee transplants. I live in the area called the ‘sandhills’ and our tea comes either sweet or unsweetened. You call the preference.
Our southern men are the most considerate, soft-spoken, self-confident men that you would ever meet. These pictures of rednecks, that’s just the picture painted to keep nothern women at bay. Our men can get down in the dirt, or dress up for any occasion. They respect us, and treat us as ladies.
Too many golf courses, brings in lots of different types of people. We try our hardest to be nice, but sometimes the brashness gets under our skin. We aren’t used to it. But we sure are learning to live with it.
Y’all come on down.
I believe the complete phrase is:
“The south was right and incest is best”
Is it correct to say that Elvis was from the south? If so, there’s another one the South got right. Sure, you may think he’s a bit corny now, but he was a revolutionary back then, man! What moves.
A few other items:
Southern Hospitality
Mahnnas (as in "mind yo’ mahnnas)
State’s Rights
Whiskey (at least I think so?)
Respect for elders
and of course, Fried Chiken
Sili
To add to what other people have said:
The south got one thing right with music, and that’s zydeco. Fire up that accordion and that washboard, and it’ll set anybody’s toes a-tapping!
Joining the iced tea debate: I’m a native Washingtonian (D.C.) – long considered a southern city, although not now I’m sure. My mother, grandmother, and greatgrandmother raised us on unsweetened, strong, iced tea. A couple years ago I started travelling down south and I’d ask for plain iced tea. (We always referred to it as “plain iced tea” – meaning tea, water, and ice – no sugar, no lemon.) Waitress’s response: “sweetened or unsweetened?” I haven’t found a good iced in the D.C. area-- they’re usually too weak – colored water basically. A strong, unsweetened iced tea for me please.
I have not ever heard of Washington, DC as being considered southern. Traveling down the eastern seaboard Virginia is considered the first southern state.
Technically D.C. and Maryland are southern states, being south of the Mason-Dixon line. They’re a real mix now and I wouldn’t call either one truly southern these days.
OK, sticking myself out as flame bait … I have not experienced this “Southern friendliness” that everyone talks about. Politeness, perhaps. But politeness isn’t the same as friendliness. I’ve encountered a lot of what you might call polite hostility: people being sweet as pie yet simultaneously letting you know that your presence is not wanted. Maybe some people consider this a more pleasant alternative to, say, the New Yorker who’s rude by default even though he may have no feelings about you one way or the other. But to me, friendliness is about acceptance, not just smooth talk, and while Southerners may have smooth talk down pat, I wouldn’t award them an Oscar for acceptance of strangers.
The most genuinely friendly people I’ve ever come across are in Wisconsin.
DC was a southern city, once upon a time. That went by the boards decades ago, needless to say.
I think JFK got the final word on that when he referred to DC as a city with Northern charm and Southern efficiency.
Yes, the South got sweet tea right. And it didn’t do too bad with Mrs. Firefly. She’s a native Floridian. Some parts of Florida are parts of the South; she’s from one of 'em.
Why, thank you Sealemon, I love you too.
( sorry Shanna, couldn’t resist 
)